Light devices, such as lamps, may include several light emitting diodes that generate light at the same time. Due to manufacturing variability, no two light emitting diodes in the same light device may output the exact same light. The chromaticity, luminous flux, or other characteristics of the light may vary between and among the light emitting diodes in the same light device.
Currently, manufactures measure characteristics of the light that is output by the different light emitting diodes. The light emitting diodes are then associated with each other in sets, with each set associated with a range of characteristics of the light generated by the light emitting diodes in that set. But, there currently is no way to determine the characteristic of the light generated by each individual light emitting diode in each set once the diodes are included into a set. As a result, a manufacturer of a light device may select several light emitting diodes from one or more different sets in an attempt to cause the light device to generate light having a target color. Because of the range of characteristics of the light that may be generated by the different light emitting diodes, however, it is unknown how close the actual light will be to the target color.
The light emitting diodes that do not mix with other light emitting diodes in the same light device to produce the light with the target color may therefore be discarded and replaced with other light emitting diodes. Finding the right combination of the light emitting diodes to include in the same light device can be a trial-and-error process, and lead to significant waste of light emitting diodes.